Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi has confirmed that he was informed of death threats made against him in the past two months.
"I can confirm the truth of the PM's statements," he said in a brief response to questions from Guardian Media yesterday.
"Law enforcement agencies uncovered and have been dealing with the death threats against me," Al-Rawi said yesterday.
"I'd rather not say anything further on the matter."
On Friday, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley revealed that an emergency meeting was held recently to organise protection for Al-Rawi after the assassination plot was uncovered. The PM made the startling revelation as he addressed People's National Movement supporters at a post-Budget public meeting at Piggott's Corner in Belmont. The PM also alleged that there were two hits put on his life just before the 2015 general election.
Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith confirmed that there were in fact two hits put on Rowley's life while he was the leader of the Opposition back in 2015.
At that time, Griffith was the Minister of National Security.
"Based on the PM's comments on threat to him, I can confirm," he said in a text exchange yesterday.
Griffith said that "several intensified security measures were established" at that time.
"It started when I was MNS (Minister of National Security)."
Griffith was National Security Minister from September 2013 to February 2015.
Griffith, however, said he could not comment on any threats to Al-Rawi, a citizen, if they had not made it known to the public first.
The PM's claims were met with strong reaction from the Opposition United National Congress (UNC).
However, the UNC focused their collective ire on statements made by National Security Minister Stuart Young and not the Prime Minister.
Young said that two high-ranking UNC members were actively conversing with criminal elements and that they were being directed on who to appoint in the upcoming Local Government elections by the same gang leaders and criminals.
Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal yesterday called the allegations an "unparalleled, preposterous lie!”
He said, “I can say here tonight that persons at the highest level of the UNC had been engaging...the person who was engaging in that is a member, an elected Member of Parliament.”
Though he did not call names, Young said in addition to the MP—whom he said was from “deep South"—another UNC member who was formerly affiliated with a state entity was in contact with the gang leaders. He said the two gave a gang leader employment at the Housing Development Corporation in 2013.
Contacted yesterday by Guardian Media Limited, Moonilal seemed amused by the statements.
“It is a bewilderingly hilarious comment and Stuart Young should find something to say that reports on his tenure as a minister rather than engaging in mauvais langue and bu*****t,” he said.
Moonilal questioned where Young would have accessed that information if it were true. He said if Young was using information gleaned from his post as National Security minister to play politics, that amounts to an abuse of power.
“How did he know that, by the way? If he has information/intelligence of any kind he would have gotten that in the course of his job as minister and to go on a political platform and speak such preposterous lies is an abuse of office.”
Moonilal challenged Young to take his information to Police Commissioner Gary Griffith.
He labelled Young’s statements as a distraction and a desperate act in light of the upcoming election.
“They have nothing to report to the people or any achievement. It comes hours after you had four murders in one day and hours after an explosive bomb went off in the Parliament that blow to bits a shady arrangement involving the Government,” Moonilal said.
Asked if he had any communication with imprisoned gang leaders or knew of any of his colleagues in the UNC having contact with them, Moonilal said, “The only person I have had communication with is Stuart Young, I know he was photographed with someone arrested for drug trafficking, but I’ve had communication with him.”
As for statements made by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley that in 2015 two assassins were hired to kill him but the killers refused, Moonilal said he does not understand why Rowley is politicising the threats.
Although he would not go into details, Moonilal said he too has been threatened numerous times.
“I don’t want to underestimate or dismiss any threat on any politician for example, but if that has happened and he has made proper reports to the police, it is a police matter and he ought not to be politicising it,” Moonilal said.
Another deputy political leader, Jearlean John did not say much on the issue, adding that the party would issue a media release.
She, however, dismissed the allegations Young made that two UNC heavy hitters were engaged in talks with criminal elements from behind prison walls.
"It reeks of desperation," she said.
The party issued a two-page statement which focused on Young and not the alleged death threats revealed by the Prime Minister.
The UNC said Young is "not fit to hold office."
"In yet another ranting outburst with no evidence to substantiate any claim, Young, using the weight of his office, sought to vilify and criminalise members of the Opposition," the party said.
"The comments coming from the political platform on Friday have exposed a desperate and defeated Rowley administration that is now grasping at straws."